My keto walnut cookies are a super healthy take on the Italian classic Dolci di Noci. They contain only 4 ingredients and are ready in 15 minutes.
I love a fancy cake. But secretly, my favourite keto dessert are cookies. They are so easy and quick to make. Plus, they have a handy in-built portion control.
Even better, you only need a handful of ingredients. I adore these keto almond butter cookies (3 ingredients), my sugar free nutella cookies and sugar free meringue cookies (both 4 ingredients).
I created these low carb walnut cookies after a trip to Italy many years ago, where I was introduced to dolci di noci - the classic Italian walnut cookie.
Since it contains only 4 ingredients, it was very simple to turn the original recipe into a sugar free version!
This is actually one of the first cookie recipes I published on the blog. I have just added step-by-step images and more tips and tricks to the post.
This means I've just had the best day ever. Because I now have a portion of deliciously crunchy, nutty keto walnut cookies sitting right in front of me.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make - only 4 ingredients, no special equipment needed
- Quick - ready in 15 minutes
- Gluten free & dairy free
- Keto friendly - just 0.8g net carbs per cookie
- Great nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Seriously, I should publish more walnut recipes on this website. Walnut desserts rock!
Ingredients
- Chopped walnuts - Make sure they are fresh! I pulsed mine in a food processor. You can also chop them finely with a knife. Or, put them in a plastic bag and crush them with a mallet or rolling pin.
- Egg - Use either 1 medium egg or 1 large egg white. I tried both and preferred the taste with the whole egg. However, both work well.
- Powdered sweetener - Powdered erythritol, any erythritol blend such as Swerve or monk fruit sweetener, Bocha Sweet, allulose or xylitol. Make sure you are using a 1:1 sugar alternative.
- Cinnamon
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
STEP 1
Beat the medium egg or large egg white with powdered sweetener and cinnamon.
STEP 2
Add the crushed walnuts and stir with a for or a spatula until a cookie dough forms. Taste and adjust sweetness if required.
STEP 3
Form balls with your hands or use a cookie scoop. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
STEP 4
Bake in the oven until golden.
Katrin's Top Tip
Don't over-process the walnuts! I like to leave some larger chunks. If the walnuts are coarsely ground, the cookies are crunchier.
However, even if you blend the walnuts to a fine flour accidentally, the recipe will still work. It's quite forgiving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, walnuts are suitable for a keto diet. They are very low in carbohydrates. 1 ounce (30 grams) or 14 halves of walnut contain just 3.9g of carbs.
Yes, if you don't mind a little grittiness. I have made these cookies with Lakanto Gold, which is a granulated brown sugar alternative. It worked really well.
The egg is the binder in this recipe. You could try a mix of nut butter and flaxseed instead. Also, grind the nuts more finely.
Your walnuts are too coarse. Add a little almond flour or a pinch of coconut flour to fix it.
Reader Review: "Love how quick these are to come together and cook - turned out super well and a great way to down walnuts and have a sweet treat when you've run out of almonds! Second batch I mixed in some brazil nuts and that was good too. Thank you!" (Sam)
Variations
Here are ideas how you can change up the recipe.
Use different nuts. The recipe works with any nuts, such as almonds, pecans or hazelnuts. You can also use a mixture. Just don't call them keto walnut cookies 😊.
Add butter. 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter gives the cookies a rich, buttery flavor.
Chocolate: Throw in a handful of sugar free chocolate chips or coat the cookies in dark chocolate such as Lindt (90% cocoa solids).
Change the spices: Try vanilla extract or a pinch of salt.
Storage
Store the walnut cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. You can keep them either at room temperature or in the fridge.
All low carb cookies freeze well. I store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Keto Walnut Recipes
Here are more keto desserts that use walnuts as an ingredient:
- Coconut Flour Banana Muffins30 Minutes
- Keto Banana Bread45 Minutes
- Chocolate Fat Bomb Recipe (Keto)30 Minutes
- Sugar Free Carrot Cake1 Hours 5 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 175 g / a generous 1 ½ cups coarsely ground walnuts
- 1 medium egg or 1 large egg white
- 25 g / 2 heaped tablespoons powdered sweetener or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 F electric or 160C / 320F fan.
- Beat the egg with the sweetener and cinnamon until smooth.
- Stir in the ground walnuts. Taste and add more sweetener if preferred.
- Form cookie dough balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Mary
Hi. I’m not eating sugar free, but I made your almond bread and love it. Can I use real powdered sugar in this recipe or would the amount need to be reduced?
Katrin
Hi Mary, yes, you can use "real" sugar in all the recipes. Just in case, use a little less first and taste your dough, then add add more if necessary. The erythritol I use is supposed to be a 1:1 sugar replacement, but it's always good to be on the safe side.
Carol mckeever
I used 1 tbsp of honey to sweeten. Even my husband likes them.
Mariam
Hi Katrin,
Thanks for all your hard work inventing and testing these delicious recipes for us. I've made a few of your recipes and they've worked out a treat :).
I'm keen on trying these walnut cookies, was wondering if it would be possible to make the balls and freeze them ( like cookie dough), and just bake a few at a time when I want to eat them, rather than having a whole batch made. Do you think that would work?
Katrin
I have not tried that myself, but why not? I think it should work fine. You might need to add a few more minutes to the baking time - just take it out when it looks and smells good!
Melissa
Decided to try this recipe out tonight since it was the only dessert recipe I had all the ingredients for. I used monkfruit for the sweetener and it was great! I will make again when I get a sweet tooth. Thank you!
Katrin
Perfect! I love it when I find a recipe I like and everything is in the cupboard! Happy days 🙂
Tanya
Made these last night. Thank you for my new go-to sweet treat! I used pecans, added a little vanilla and sea salt, and skipped the cinnamon. So quick and delicious!
Katrin
That's great! Using pecans with vanilla and salt sounds delicious
Josette Duran
I made these. The cookies were more "drop" than balls as I could not resist adding some vanilla which made the mixture looser. Also drizzled a little melted chocolate on top while cooling. Will try with my favorite macadamia nuts next. Very good, super simple recipe. Thank you!
Kevin
Awesome recipe and I love this site
Katrin
The erythritol I used is a 1:1 sugar replacement. So you would have to use a similar amount of sugar. You could also try honey!
Katrin
Using pecans sounds like a great idea. I was also thinking they would be great dipped in chocolate!
Katrin
Thank you Sarah, that's so nice to hear 🙂
Stacey
These are so good, yet so simple to make!